There used to be only one answer to that question, but thanks to technology, today we have other options. Let’s look into it . . .
Natural diamond creation begins 100 miles, that’s 528,000 feet, beneath the earth’s surface. It is there where extraordinary heat and pressure crystallize carbon into rough diamonds.
There are basically two ways those diamonds can get to the earth’s surface. One is for the earth herself to bring them up via a particular type of volcanic eruption called a kimberlite eruption. It has been over 100 million years since that happened, so don’t expect diamonds to start falling from the sky anytime soon.
The second option is to dig, and dig and dig some more moving hundreds to thousands of tons of earth to find a single carat of diamond. The pits created in diamond mining are so huge they can be seen from space. The detrimental impacts on the environment include soil erosion, deforestation, and ecosystem destruction, which have far-reaching effects on plant and animal life.
Not only does the digging for natural diamonds occur on land, it also happens under the ocean floor. Marine mining operations dredge up the sea floor. One marine diamond mining vessel will scour as much as 2,300 square miles of ocean floor.
Another type of mining, alluvial mining, constructs walls and dams that redirect the water flow of rivers to capture diamonds that have reached the surface of river beds after years of natural erosion. This too has strong environmental effects impacting the quality of water and the health of aquatic life.
Not only does the mining of diamonds have a huge ecological impact, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the massive human suffering that has occurred in the quest for natural diamonds. Movies like Blood Diamond and in-depth journalistic reporting have brought to the surface the unpleasant realities of forced labor.
There’s no question that diamonds are gorgeous and lovely to give and own. But must beauty have such a high cost? We don’t think so. Today’s generation has a choice to give and own REAL, beautiful diamonds that are ethically sourced and have the same quality as mined diamonds.
At Grown Brilliance we feature lab-grown diamonds that are a perfect ethical alternative to mined diamonds. Did we mention that they’re conflict-free and sweet on the wallet? Brilliant!
